Why e-learning?

In my last article “Things to keep in mind while developing e-learning apps in India”, we discussed major factors that every mobile app development company should follow. As e-learning is yet to be accepted as a mainstream concept in India, it’s logic is still unclear to most. When recommending e-learning to kids, or even grown up individuals I’ve faced a common question, “Why should we consider e-learning mediums?”. To answer that, let’s take a look as to why books aren’t the only correct choice and why we should say “Yes” to e-learning instead.

You should pick up an e-learning app or e-book because…

• In this digital era, the number of children who find books interesting or even pick up one to read is dropping fast. Trends are displaying a sizable growth in the population of kids who use smartphones and tablets. This is mostly because parents are finding it a reasonable medium to keep their children busy with, for longer times. Rather than letting them spend time on garbage apps or browsing unnecessary websites, this is the best way to implement the concept of e-learning from an early age. The options are wide, with many significant apps helping kids learn different languages and highly enhance their psychological development. This is one of the strongest reasons for us to adapt to the e-learning medium.

• In developing countries like India, constantly purchasing books is a luxury; with prices going out of reach for most middle and lower class families.

  

  With the price of smartphones and tablets starting from as low as a measly 3000INR ($47) you can open a window to the world of unlimited education through e-learning apps, ebooks, video tutorials and much more. Free mobile internet initiatives like Internet.org, by Facebook, let students access study materials without ever having to purchase data services.

• Studying hundreds of pages full of texts can be taxing to the minds of both kids and grown individuals alike. The majority of textbooks lack interactive formats and create a phobic experience for students. e-learning apps solve this problem by implementing and utilizing methods of intelligent learning that can successfully convey large amounts of text. They also improve the concentration and attention span of learners to a great extent. Widely popular formats include the introduction of gamified learning, social media based learning, integrated animations/ videos and interactive digital tools.

• India, and other developing nations have been facing a major issue in their education system. It is a widespread practice that only students with their grades at the highest percentile get to choose what they want to study. For individuals who require a different approach to learning it’s almost impossible not to suffer in the hands of our education system. This is where e-learning apps and mediums score big. As long as an individual has the capability to learn their desired subject e-learning apps will cater to their specific needs. Even prestigious Universities like Harvard, Oxford and Stanford let unique and talented individuals enroll to e-learning courses without heavily judging on their grades. The more we adapt to e-learning the lesser wastage and draining of individual talents will occur.

• With the passing of each second there is an alarming increase in the human population. The increasing demand for paper is simultaneously on the rise. The aforesaid reasons have become the leading cause of major environmental issues like deforestation, which in turn leads to natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, famines and the permanent extinction of multiple species. Our demand for paper textbooks/ printable papers is negatively increasing factors like global warming and rising CO2 levels that might bring about human extinction.

  

  Evolution has put us on the top of the ecosystem and it’s high time we justify it by choosing e-learning apps, conserving whatever remains of our natural existence. The feel of paper textbooks might be good but is it really worth it? With the rise of smartphones and tablets, e-books have become the medium of choice as not only do they reduce paper usage but they drastically reduce electricity consumption, when compared to personal computers.

The Verdict

I believe the time has come for us to embrace the path of e-learning wholeheartedly. With many schools and even workplaces switching to e-learning methods, the revolution has already begun. By the discussed points given above you can get a clear picture as to why it’s important for all of us to see beyond the age old concept of buying textbooks and openly embrace the digital age of mobile apps and app based learning.